Lost pride and growing spirit: Crystal to Flower
by Shadimee
Summary: Forced to live as a dancing performer, Hanna is used to a life of distrust and solitude. Dreaming of the sea beyond her island, Hanna makes a brave but dangerous choice, leaving behind all she knows to set sail into the unknown. But escaping aboard the ship of the infamous Strawhat pirates is no guarantee that the shadows of her old life will remain hidden forever.
1. The Escape

**Chapter 1.**

When the sun sets I am going to leave my island forever. No plan, no money and no idea what is waiting for me over the horizon, I am going to leave the life I have known for the open seas. The last of the small amount of possessions I do own are already packed onto the sailing boat I've hidden in the cove of the island. All that remains now is that I perform my duties one last time.

There is a knock on my door. It echoes in the room as I hook the final piece of jewellery, a heavy gold necklace, in place. I turn to the mirror, a tall broken piece of glass riddled with web-like lines and coated in a thin line of dust. Despite my surroundings, a dark mold filled room, I look surprisingly elegant. The numerous gold bangles and chains clamber loudly with each of my movements, and my short bright dress, which would look scandalous in any other situation, is exotic and seductive. I look exotic and seductive. As I should.

The knock on the door is louder this time and an angry voice bellows from the other side. "Crystal, hurry up in there! Do you think I have all day?"

Although my name, _my real name_, is not Crystal I answer anyway. As I always do.

"Yes Master, right away."

I take one last glance at the mirror. If I can take just one of the precious jewels I am wearing, I won't have to worry about money for a long while after I depart the island. But it is a useless thought to entertain. I open the door with some difficulty. Master—no Alistair, always forgets to take the chains off the door after he had unlocked them.

"You're on in five minutes Crystal, go join the girls."

It is always painful to enter the main room. The heady scent of perfume always hangs in thick clouds at the entrance where the other girls stand in clusters, often discussing last minute changes to the dance routines. The lights also give off a blinding shimmer that mimics the spotlights on the stage but contrasts the dim blinking lights that we are supplied with in our rooms. I make my way through the crowd of girls to find a space in the corner. They move systematically when I come through. No one touches me and they all avoid eye contact. None want to be the reason why the main star is unable to perform.

The entire room is silent by the time I reach my corner of the room. It's nothing out of the ordinary. Supposedly, I am the master's favorite. I get the best pick of the clothes and I get to perform alone, without the stress of making sure my entire group is performing perfectly like they have to. Although they don't say it aloud, they think I am an informer, secretly telling the master about their escape plans or reporting them when they are slacking on their training.

They are, of course, wrong.

But I don't correct them. I have no reason to. If they knew what I had planned they would sell me out as quickly as they thought I would sell them out. In this world I can only count on and trust myself. Today, I can sit with my head high and stare at every single glittering face without embarrassment. It will be the last time after all.

"Crystal, you're up."

The last time.

I walk towards the stage and my legs tremble beneath me. Not from fear—I've done this a thousand times before— but from anticipation. Anticipation of what I am about to do. The spotlight dims and the crowd grows quiet. I step onto the stage, letting my body follow the routine that has been beaten into it. I dance to the increasing rhythm of the music, swaying back and forth with increasing fervor until all I can hear is the beating of my heart and the roar of the crowd.

Then there is a scream and the lights cut off. A large, scar faced man rises from his seat and fires a gun in the air to call for order. He looks at me dead in the eye before throwing a single bejeweled knife in my direction. It embeds itself in the wall inches away from my face, but I don't flinch. Instead, I grab the knife and point it in the direction of main hall.

"The gold is in the chambers past the main room." I say, trying to suppress all the emotions that are threatening to pin me to the ground. Master—Alistair is glaring at me with a look of utter shock and uncontrolled rage. There is a Denden Mushi in his hand, no doubt summoning the guards he had hired to protect his business. The scarred man whistles loudly and dozens of men come scurrying from all directions. Some wielding bloodied knives, others smirking in a way that suggested that they liked to torture their victims in other ways.

The people in the audience are fleeing by now, but the pirates show no interest. As I had hoped, they are only interested in the gold. One grabs me by the collar, twisting the gold necklace that hangs on my neck and nearly pulls me off my feet.

"We're here. So where's the rest of it?" He spits. I try to pull free but he is stronger than me.

"I told you, go through the main hall and start from the room furthest down. It's Master's room, that's where he keeps most of it."

"Master eh." He says, tugging at my necklace. "That guy sure has you well trained. Maybe we should take you with us. I'd like to be your master."

With one swipe I unclasp the necklace and free myself from his wretched grip. I look back in the direction of the main hall but Alistair and the scarred pirate captain have disappeared.

"You have to hurry." I urge the pirate. "Alistair has a few devil fruit users employed who guard the gold. If you waste your time here your captain might be in trouble!"

The pirate scowls and slaps me across the face. Hard. "I don't need you to tell me what to do."

I pick myself off the floor and head in the direction of the exit. I half expect the pirate to follow me, but my face must be so pathetically swollen that any traces of my beauty has disappeared, along with any interest he may have had in me. I throw away the remaining jewellery around my wrists and ankles and run as fast as I can towards the cove. Shamelessly, I am leaving behind the girls whose frighten faces swelled at the sight of the invading pirates and Alistair, the man who had made my life a worthless existence for the last five years.

I run as fast as my legs allow. I run until the sea comes into view and my dreams of an everlasting freedom is almost a reality.

Almost.

Before I can reach the cove, an overpowering sensation runs through my body; a dreadful anticipation. I slow down and approach the cove cautiously, going through the bushes rather than using the path. Up ahead I catch sight of a movement. A broad man with a pick axe is hacking away mightily at a ship.

My ship.

My breath catches, and I stare motionlessly. My bags, which I had packed with the few decent clothing I could find in the hall, are floating into the open sea. Tears stream down my face. Alistair had sent one of his guards to find my ship. Perhaps he had known all along of my plan and this was his twisted attempt at humoring me, to show me the futility of trying to escape.

But, I can't let him win. I can't let him win. I can't let him win.

I stand on shaking legs and run along the border of the island. I don't know where I'm running to but I know where I'm running from, and it makes me go faster and faster until I can no longer feel the ground beneath me. The wind sweeps through me, blowing my black hair like curtains over my eyes until I've run over the edge of the cliff into the cold waters below.


	2. The Liberation

**Chapter 2.**

The pull of the waves is both frightening and comforting. I could just let it take me away to a place where I wouldn't have to struggle anymore. But I fear death and the emptiness that comes with it.

I kick at the water with the same desperation as before. The sun, blurred by the fragmenting light of the sea's waves, is my guide to the land above. The current pulls me down, but I am steadfast. I try to swim with the current rather than against it, hoping that it will guide me to some place new far, far away from the sorrows of this island.

I don't know how long I have been in the sea, but the feel of wet sand and hard gravel brings me back into reality. The water had taken me and guided me to open shores. I don't know how long I've been lying on the shoreline, but my hands and feet are bloodied and wrinkled. Still dazed, I try to recognize my surroundings.

With a heavy heart I realize I am still on the island. The blue leafed palm trees that outline the surrounding area are the native fauna of Blues Island.

I take a gasped breath and lie back down on the ground. My body and my spirit are as shattered as the incessant waves that break among the rocks. I pray inwardly, hoping that the elements can finish me off before Alistair can find me here helpless, broken and pathetic. Just like I always am; just like he always expects me to be.

I hear voices coming closer and I give into the despair. Each step brings forward a sentence that I will have to carry out for the rest of my days. They reach me and I close my eyes, letting the darkness and the hopelessness take me somewhere I fear to go. Someone looms over me but I am reluctant to open my eyes and see who it is.

"Over here! She's over here!" I hear a voice say. It's a woman's voice. A cold hand touches my arm, chest and face. "I think she's still alive, where's Chopper?"

Another voice speaks, this time with a much deeper tone. "He is on his way. How did this happen to such a beautiful girl?"

"I don't know. I just saw her run off the cliff. Anyway, just tell Chopper to hurry up."

A pair of strong arms pick me up. My heart beats uneven rhythms in my chest. These arms are not like the ones that pull me violently out of bed in the mornings or draw back to deliver a painful lashing for one of my many mistakes. These arms hold me with a tenderness that I have long forgotten…and I fear to open my eyes to reality.

Several voices appear through the darkness. I try to imagine what kind of people they are. A woman with a strong, authoritative voice who seems sure and capable. A young man, whose harsh odor of smoke and spices is a sharp contrast to his gentle touch. A child whose voice has yet to break but has hands as hard and calloused as a man who has lived many years. The last a nasally, panicked voice that grows louder with each second.

From my hearing, I estimate that I am surrounded by four people and from my hearing I know that these people are not with Alistair. They discuss the best way to deal with me. To take me back to their ship or to leave me where I am and hope that I wake up soon.

The marines are after them.

The argument goes back and forth. The man in whose arms I lay is adamant that I board their ship and argues that they could take me back to the island later if I desire. The woman, however, makes what would be a sound argument if not for my circumstances; to leave me on the island so that the marines don't associate me with pirates.

From their words I gather that the marines have appeared to the town center in large numbers.

I wonder briefly if it has something to do with the pirates who I had collaborated with to invade the hall while I escaped. While I don't personally like the marines, I am relieved at the thought that maybe those girls I had abandoned would be helped by them. They did not like me nor did I particularly like them, but I sincerely hoped they would survive...

The decision to take me back to the ship is made by the arrival of another voice. The speaker is young and energetic, but it is clear that he is in the position of power. The latent arguments die down and I am hoisted into the air and carried to a place I never thought I'd want to go: a pirate ship.

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The bed I am placed in is soft. It is unlike the thin and hard mattresses I am used to. It almost makes want to sleep rather than only pretend. But my stomach is rumbling and the aroma of the food that was left in the room, what I guess was several hours ago, becomes irresistible to me.

I risk opening my eyes and see a white room awash with evening light. From the window I can only see a far blue stretch of water until the horizon. The beauty of it overcomes me and I lose my footing. There is a quick knock on the door and someone comes in hurriedly.

"I heard something, is everything…ok?" A tall young man with bright blonde hair enters the room and when his eyes meet mine his voice dies away awkwardly. We stare at each other wordlessly. I can't tell what he is thinking, but many thoughts run through my head.

He is the man that carried me to this ship. He does not have a cruel face, nor does he seem threatening in any way, but was it a good idea for me to encounter them so soon? With no plan and no backup idea.

I mentally berate myself. I had been on this ship for hours already, but I had been so fearful that they would discover that I was secretly awake and not injured enough to warrant their attention that I did not think of an action plan when I would inevitably have to come face to face with them.

I recoil towards the wall, as if increasing the physical space between us could decrease the mental space that was growing in my mind. The man seems surprised by my actions and bends down where he is standing, so that he and I facing eye to eye.

"I'm not going to hurt you." He says in a soft voice. "My name is Sanji. I brought you here to help you because you were hurt."

I nod in a dumb way, feigning ignorance in hopes of evoking his pity. "I fell into the water… It was…cold."

Sanji chuckles slightly under his breath as if I had said the most obvious thing in the world and offers me his hand.

"I've got some warm soup in the kitchen, if you like." He says. "The one I brought you has gone a bit cold. I think I'll give it to Luffy."

"Luffy?" I say dumbly. From what I could gather, hearing titbits of the conversations between the crew mates, Luffy was the captain of this ship. But I couldn't let this man know I knew that.

"Yeah, Luffy is the captain of this ship." He replies, and hesitates to add the next bit. "Erm…well…this is a pirate ship."

Sanji smiles sheepishly but his eyes are observant, he is gauging my reaction. I measure each facial expression I make. If I seem too fearful they are likely to send me back to the island, but if I seem too accepting then that warrants suspicion. I decide to feign a look of slight fear and misunderstanding, the look of a child who is approached by a seemingly helpful stranger when they have lost sight of their parents. _Can I trust you or not?_

He seems satisfied by my response because he goes on to assure me of my safety on this ship and his vow of everlasting protection as we make our way to the kitchen and the rest of his crew.


	3. The Joining

**Chapter 3.**

Before we enter the kitchen I feel suddenly hesitant to go inside. I notice a sparkle in my reflection in the window and remember the inappropriately short and bright blue sequined dress I am wearing. I start to panic. Not because I am ashamed of what they might think, but because the dress reminds me of what I am trying to escape. Its lining clings to my body like a second skin; the skin of the girl named Crystal, who performs and dances at her master's command. Not Hanna the girl who, in a moment of brave madness, orchestrated her own escape into the world.

I am woefully aware of my strange behavior but I can't stop the sudden shaking that befalls me. The gust of salt air in my throat, the texture of cold and damp silk on my skin, the rocking of the waves beneath my feet. These are all strange sensations to me.

"Are you OK, miss?" Sanji says worriedly. He tries to hold one of my hands but stops immediately when I flinch away. "Maybe you should get some more rest. I'll bring something up for you later."

I shake my head and attempt a smile. "No, I'm sorry. I don't want to bother you more than I already have."

The truth is that I really _don't_ want to bother them more than I already have. I'm sure that these pirates have enough to worry about with the marines and other things, without having to think about consoling a burden like me.

Sanji smiles at me compassionately, almost as if he could read my mind. "You're no bother. I am always happy to serve a lady in need."

Together we enter the kitchen and one by one I see the strange assortment of people who make up the crew of the Strawhat pirates. A boy with stretching hands and the scowling green haired man he is stealing food from. A long nosed boy and a talking raccoon. An animate robot and a singing skeleton. Then two relatively normal looking girls, one older and mature looking, the other around the same age as myself, with fiery orange hair and a temper to match.

They don't notice me at first; they seem more concerned about their disappearing dinner at the hands of the stretching boy, but Sanji coughs loudly and draws their attention to us. The girl with orange hair looks over to me in surprise.

"Ah, you're awake!" she says and I identify her as the one who found me on the beach earlier. I nod shyly as she smiles and introduces herself as Nami. The others introduce themselves one at a time. Luffy. Usopp. Chopper. Franky. Brook. Robin. Zoro.

I take a step forward and introduce myself in return. "My name is Crystal—"

As soon as the words escape my mouth, my breath catches in my throat and I almost fall to the ground, shaking. I can barely hear Sanji's voice as he tries to keep me on my feet.

Crystal. Crystal. _Crystal._

I want to scream. The dress is suddenly too tight for me. I can't breathe. _Crystal._ Even I can never see myself as anything other than Crystal. The orange haired girl bends over to hold me upright. I've fallen to my knees.

"Crystal! _Crystal!_" She calls.

It is such a cold name. Transparent and brittle. Like me. I hate it. I hate me.

"Hey, what's the matter? Are you hurt?" she says. "Crystal…"

"My name is not Crystal." I say coldly. "My name is not Crystal."

They both step away, taken aback by my abrupt change in tone. I straighten up and look at them in the eye. I have just shown them the most pathetic side of me. People I don't even know. But I can't let the shame take over me; I can't hate me forever.

"I'm sorry…" I say with a weak smile. "I'm still not feeling too well." Their expressions change to one of sympathy and so I press forward. "I meant to say my name is Hanna. Thank you very much for saving me. I owe you my life."

"Well we didn't really do much. You were already on the beach when we found you" Nami says, but then adds, "but of course that doesn't mean you don't owe us."

"I'll do anything to repay you." I say and I mean it quite literally. "Anything."

Once again an expression of surprise crosses her face, my earnestness astounds her. I take a seat in the corner of the table when I am bid to do so and eat my dinner consisting of shellfish soup and seagull steak leisurely. It seems that they have made the unspoken decision to wait until I have finished eating before starting anew with the inquiries.

Then it begins.

I am asked a variety of unusual questions ranging from my age, to the kind of skills I have. I answer as much as I feel comfortable to. I am eighteen, five feet and seven inches. I don't remember my star sign nor do I know what my ideal corresponding match is. I can't fight, though it would be a valuable skill to learn. I like meat to an extent. I don't really know any good stories to tell and my skills include performing and dancing.

Then at last comes the inevitable question I have been dreading.

"No, I don't want to go back to_ that_ island." I say, though I try, in vain, not to show exactly how much I don't want to go back. Because that would bring up more questions and I don't want to answer any more than I already have.

"Then you want to stay here?" Luffy says bluntly. I look down, it's too embarrassing for me to insist on staying with them. He stares at me with an unreadable expression and I am at a loss for words.

"Then we'll have to go back to get your things." Nami says in his stead. He does not seem to disagree. My heart swells at the thought of staying here, on board this ship that is sailing further and further away from the darkness of Blues Island. But I rein myself in before I can get too excited.

"I don't have anything." I say truthfully. The few items I had had floated down the sea. Even if I did have anything worthwhile I wouldn't risk returning to fetch it anyway.

The long nosed Usopp joins into the conversation. "Not even a bag of clothes" he says incredulously. "No food. No money?"

I shake my head. "No, I don't have any possessions," I say quietly and add, "…not anymore."

Stunned, they stop asking questions. In this day and age, with pirates and criminals roaming the seas, it doesn't take much imagination to guess what could have happened to me. After all they themselves had seen marines on the island. Where there are marines criminals are surely not too far away.

It is then decided that I can travel with the crew. I am not an official member and it is made clear that I may leave when I desire. But I am happier than I ever imagined possible.


	4. The Suspicions

**Chapter 4.**

I wake up, slightly dazed, to the soft snoring of Nami in the girl's chamber. From the dim light that filters through the closed curtains I deduce that it is breaking dawn. I swing my legs over the side of the makeshift bed the shipwright Franky installed late last night. It takes a few moments but I start to regain my balance against the subtle movements of the ship.

I look around the room but only see Nami's sleeping figure curled up under the covers. Robin didn't come to bed last night. I wonder, with a strange sort of guilt, whether my presence has something to do with it. I am a stranger on their ship after all.

I head to the bathroom and run the tap on full. The cold water breaks my chain of thoughts and takes my worries away with it down the drain. I look up to the mirror hanging above the sink and to my surprise my reflection no longer shames me.

My eye are no longer that dull, empty black like endless mines. They are full of life and hope and new found freedom. My skin, though still marked by cuts and bruises, have a vitality that it's lacked for years. My hair, long like black drapes, hangs limply over my waist. I grab a pair of scissors from the cabinet under the sink and slice off the strands until my hair hangs just above my shoulders. Just this small change and I look different. A bit older, a bit more mature. I give myself an encouraging smile and head for the kitchen, in hopes of catching an early bird awake on the ship.

When I reach the ship's deck I am stunned by its beauty. The sun's light just peeking over the horizon catches every minute detail that I missed the night before. The main deck is covered in dewy grass and the great sail that bears the symbol of the straw hat pirates casts a looming shadow over the ship. A light goes off in the room above the sails. I wonder briefly if Robin is the one in that room, but I leave my misgivings in favor of the kitchen.

Inside the sound of sizzling and the smell of smoke fill the room. On the edge of the room, behind the counter, I find Sanji flipping a smoking fish in saucepan with one hand and drawing on his cigarette with the other. I walk closer to him until my footsteps grab his attention.

Unfortunately I seem to grab too much of his attention. He showers me with compliments and pours me a glass of freshly pressed juice from a tray with three glasses, which I assume are for the other ladies on the ship. It makes me feel relieved to know that I am not the only target for his affections.

I say a quick "Good morning" when he allows me to get a word in edgeways. He beams a blinding smile, then midway through his serenading he remembers that only yesterday I was a patient on their ship.

"How are you feeling this morning?" He says, and I can see the genuine worry in his eyes. It almost makes my heart flutter. I look down at the ground in embarrassment.

"I'm fine now." I say, "I think the soup from last night did the trick."

Now he is the one who blushes and turns back to the saucepan he seemed to have momentarily forgotten. "I'm glad to hear that. I hope you will enjoy this too. Pan fried fish in white vinegar."

He gives the fish another flip, this time much higher than he had when I entered the room. I chuckle under my breath. He is definitely a classy chef.

"Do you need any help?" I ask when I notice a bowl of fish that have not yet been gutted. He declines but I am persistent. The first step to becoming accepted anywhere is to do what needs to be done. In this case it is the fish that needs to be done. It takes me a while but after convincing him of my restlessness and my need to preoccupy myself, he relents and I grab the sharpest knife I can find.

I try to fillet a fish but it slips out of my hand every time I get the knife near it. Behind me Sanji tries in vain to keep his amusement concealed. He takes hold of my two hands and guides me through the motions with a precision befitting a first class chef.

"Have you never cut a fish before?" he asks. I shake my head. "You have to hold it firmly but loosely. Like something delicate that you don't want to break but you don't want to drop."

He makes it look so effortless.

"This is the first time I've had to do this." I say absentmindedly. In my early life I was too young to help out in the kitchen and by the time I met Alistair my only purpose was to make money performing; kitchen duties fell to the other captives.

I try again without his assistance and the knife glides through the fish, spilling its innards onto the chopping board. I feel nauseous at the sight of it. Only yesterday, that could have been my stomach.

"Hehe you're a natural—eh, what's wrong?" Sanji says, peering into my face.

I avoid his eyes and line up the next fish. "Nothing. I'm fine."

"You know, I've been meaning to ask you…" he begins, ignoring my unsure response. "It's just that…is there a reason you don't want to go back to your island?"

"No." I say a bit too quickly. "No reason at all. I just want to travel for a while."

"On a pirate ship?" he says sceptically. I ignore him and pull out another fish.

"It wasn't planned, but a pirate ship is better than no ship." I say casually. "Because of all the…_trouble _on Blues Island merchant ships don't stop by often. It's not easy to leave that place."

"Oh…" he says simply, but I get the impression that he doesn't believe me. The door opens and, as if on cue, Robin saunters in smiling. She greets us both politely and takes a seat on the table across the room. I smile back at her, but something about the way she was observing at me reminded me of the girls in the halls. Suspicious, hidden under the guise of cordiality.

Sanji and I prepare the last of the fish in silence and I am surprised to see that he hadn't left me in order to flirt with Robin. It confirmed my suspicions. They were watching me.

Not that I could blame them, of course. I would have reacted in the same way.

A lone girl refusing to return to an island guarded by marines, who seeks to journey the world on a pirate ship despite having implied that she was a victim of pirates. I could probably be a marine myself for all they knew!

I sigh and wonder what my next move should be. It won't be possible to stay on this ship forever.


	5. The Attack

**Chapter 5.**

I spend the next week contemplating what I should do. During that time Robin seemed to have slowly ceased her surveillance of me, probably presuming that I would have already made a move if I were planning it.

She appeared less and less when I came to the kitchen in the morning to help Sanji prepare breakfast and I didn't feel her presence when I was performing on the deck in the afternoons for Luffy and the boys.

However, despite the lax in Robin's surveillance and the friendliness of the others, with the exception of Zoro whom I only ever see wake once in a while, I am still somewhat on edge. As if I can feel that something approaching… something that is going to make sure I can't stay on this ship comfortably.

And that something comes hard and rough.

It takes what felt like seconds for Usopp's announcement to reach the deck before the ship is bombarded by the boots of invading pirates. Their sign, a skull with a gold ring seems strikingly familiar, but I am pushed out of the way by one of Luffy's stretching arms before I can fully examine their flag.

I try to manoeuvre out of everyone's way, opting to leave the battlefield rather than becoming a liability but one of the enemy pirates has something else in mind. He comes strong and fast, whipping a chain from this sleeve with lightening speed. I can scarcely react before it knocks me flat to ground. The chain wraps around my leg and he slams me into the wall. I hear a shout but my eyes are too blurred to see where it's coming from. But I do hear the heavy footsteps of combat boots and I know the chain man is coming in my direction.

My heart beats frantically. He comes closer and the clacking of the chain grows wilder as he swings it through the air, quicker and quicker. I hear another yell and this time, over the echo of my beating heart and the roar of the swinging chains, I recognise the voice to be Sanji's.

He is threatening the man with the chains, while he himself has his hands full with the other intruders. I remember that I must not only fight for myself, but for the people of this crew who, in my time of need took me on board their ship and… saved me in more ways than one.

I stand on my shaking legs, just barely avoiding another strike. I dart into the kitchen and search for anything I can use as a weapon. Red blood drips from my forehead and spills into my eyes but my fingers continue to probe the floor for something sharp or heavy. I might not be strong enough to take him in a fight, but I can take a hit. And I plan to use that to my advantage.

The chain man bursts in through the door behind me just as my hand closes around a metal handle; a large kitchen knife. He sprints with no hesitation and his chain lurches forward towards my face. I duck under the table, feeling splinters of broken chains fly past me.

He pulls the chain back one more time and to my horror says: "You're pretty persistent babe. Why don't you just give up now, I won't hurt you too badly."

"Y-you're the pirate from the hall…" I cry and I realize my mistake when the chain comes down where I had been crouching.

"Nothing gets past you, eh doll face. Aren't you gonna come out and say hi." He says and I hear the swinging of chains once more.

I take a deep breath and ready myself for a counterattack. The question of how he found me here can wait. The chain comes down and I lunge from my cover under the broken table. His left leg is the closest to me; I embed the blade into his thigh.

He screams painfully as I push the blade deeper. Using the rest of my weight I knock him off his feet. He struggles against the pain in his leg and my weight on his body. But rather than incapacitating him further, I pull him by the scruff of his shirt, as he had previously done to me, and screamed: "How did you find me here? Who sent you? What do you want from me? Answer me—"

A yell outside cuts me off. The pirates are retreating. The chain spits bloody phlegm into my face and throws me off him when I try to wipe it off. I see a flash of blonde and green fly into the room, but the chain man has already run through the back door and dived into the ocean, probably preferring to face the attack of the waves than the kicks and slashes of the two angry pirates.

"Damn, they got away." Zoro says searching the surface of the sea for any sign of the chain man. "Cowards."

Sanji appears altogether more angry and frantic, but he reels it in to help me to my feet. "Are you OK Hanna-chan?" he asks anxiously. "Damn it! If I get my hands on that bastard!"

I try to smile and reassure him that I'm fine, but my face doesn't move. With my fading adrenaline the numbness subsides and searing pain comes in flurries. I feel tears well up in my eyes but I'm too slow to wipe them away.

"Don't cry, Hanna-chan." Sanji says and pulls his arms around me and to my surprise I allow him to do so.

"Well at least you managed to take care of him." I hear a voice say though it's muffled by the cloth of Sanji's blazer. I glance up to see Zoro staring at us sourly. "This is yours isn't it cook?"

Sanji pulls away and stares at the item in Zoro''s hand. The kitchen knife I had used as a weapon. Sanji squealed and cradled his knife.

"My best knife!" he says. "That bastard got his dirty blood all over it."

I sit up guiltily and reply: "I'm sorry Sanji. I didn't know what else to use."

"No. No, I'm glad you it was used to protect you. Though I don't like to see kitchen tools to be used as weapons, I would hate it even more to see a lady being injured." He says but he still looks distraught over the state of his knife.

"But that was a pretty reckless thing to do." Zoro says and I realize he is addressing me. "If you don't know how to use a blade properly, it can easily backfire on you."

Despite his harsh tone, I am inclined to agree with him. It was a reckless move. Had the chain man grabbed the knife before I managed to jump him, I would I have the one with a slashed leg…or worse. In the end, he still managed to beat me with little difficulty without even answering my questions. If Zoro and Sanji hadn't appeared when they did…I shudder to think what would have happened.

In fact, I shudder to think what will happen…what will happen when those men return.


End file.
